This being my second year at FITC SCREENS, I was very excited to be able to attend and blog about some of the many seminars. With a primary focus on mobile technology, topics included programming, design and technological advancements. It's amazing to see just how intelligent mobile technology is quickly becoming - this past year alone has brought lots of new, innovative ideas to the table, many of which were highlighted at SCREENS.

The first seminar I attended was Becoming Social by Default on Mobile, presented by Boris Chan from Xtreme Labs. Boris expressed how the increasing amount of mobile apps has muddled the way we communicate and connect with others. While mobile technology has created a great amount of positive social change, the quality of apps hasn't always been as remarkable and there's plenty of room for improvement.

Boris expressed practical development and design approaches mobile developers need to keep in mind if they want to offer quick, satisfying social experiences on mobile devices. He even went on to mention some forward-thinking apps that are taking a step in the right direction, and how those development and design choices can help developers create even more fast and intuitive social experiences in the future. The world is our oyster, so it's up to us to create those quality experiences. Take a look at Boris's presentation slides.

After Boris' enlightening session, I checked out Justin Kent's presentation, Award Winning Apps. In a world where apps are extremely plentiful and varied, sometimes creating a quality app that stands out from the rest can be a tricky matter. In this seminar, Justin explained the fundamentals of creating an award-worthy app and how by following some basic steps any mobile developer is capable of it. With some proper care and attention, those dreams that once seemed too risky or unattainable are completely possible.

More to come about sessions from day two!